Uighur Autumn Pulao

The Uighars who live in the oases that rim the Takla Makan Desert in the far west of China are cultural cousins of the Uzbeks, who also speak a Turkic language. Uzbeks and Uighurs both have a strong pilaf tradition (in both languages, pilaf is known as pulao). Pulao is a one-pot dish, cooked in a special pot called a q’azan in both Uighur and Uzbek. In both, the flavor base is onions and carrots, and lamb is the meat most commonly used. The q’azan is a wide shallow meta